Category: News

After turning What We Do in the Shadows into a cult comedy film that spawned a breakout series on FX, Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi are working on a brand new TV project. While he couldn’t reveal a lot of the details, Clement shared his enthusiasm for the new series in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly:

“I can’t tell you much about it yet, but what’s fun about it and what makes it exciting for me is it’s something I always wanted to do which is long-form episodes in a sitcom. It’s an action-adventure comedy. It’ll be different from what I’ve usually done. I’ve made three sitcoms now, and I hope this one is still funny but more of an adventure series.”

However, the news does come at the expense of What We Do in the Shadows world. Particularly, it’s spinoff series, Wellington Paranormal. While Shadows will have a third season despite Clement leaving the writing staff (and, now, we know why), he said that Wellington will be “pausing” and may not return.

It’s also yet another project added to Waititi’s plate. He only just recently wrapped production on Thor: Love and Thunder, but that still leaves him tied up with his upcoming Star Wars film, a live-action Akira remake, and a new Blackbeard pirate series for HBO. And we feel like we’re probably leaving out at least 10 other things. But if this new series with Clement is even half as good as What We Do in the Shadows, who’s to argue with the man’s methods?

(Via Entertainment Weekly)

America: The Motion Picture (Netflix film) — Channing Tatum voices a very profane (and buff) George Washington in this series that’s directed by Archer‘s Matt Thompson and produced by The Mitchells vs. the Machines‘ Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Washington declares that he wants to “start a f*cking revolution,” and he’s accompanied by a beer-guzzling Sam Adams, an angry Geronimo, Paul Revere, and Thomas Edison as they decide to take on Benedict Arnold and King James. In the synopsis, Netflix promises, “[T]hese are not your father’s Founding… uh, Fathers.”

Loki: Episode 4 (Disney+ series, releasing in the wee hours of Wednesday morning) — Tom Hiddleston has an absolute blast playing the mercurial trickster of the MCU, and we shall reap the benefits while he helps (or hinders) the Time Variance Authority during the process of cleaning up the timeline. This week, the show will follow up on Sophia Di Martino’s “Variant” character teaming up with Loki, after the series inserted a significant detail into canon while appearing to also confirm a theory about the TVA.

Somos. (Netflix series) — This series recreates stories that are inspired by the work of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ginger Thompson. She dug into a small down called Allende during a period that’s rocked by a massacre, which was sparked by a drug war and a DEA operation that did not go as planned.

Prime Time (Netflix film) — The time is 1999, and the occasion is New Year’s Eve. A 20-year-old man takes hostages after entering a TV studio. The man doesn’t know his plan, nor does anyone else, although he has a message that’s interrupted by police, and as he waits it out, he apparently bonds with his hostages. Hmm.

D.C.’s Legends Of Tomorrow (CW, 8:00pm) — The gang is back together while Nate must do his best to keep everyone and everything levelheaded during a mission to locate an alien in the Old West.

Batwoman (CW, 9:00pm) — The season finale sees Ryan Wilder attempting to figure out whether she’s truly meant to be the city’s her. Meanwhile, she just join forces with Luke, Mary, and Sophie after Black Mask runs amuck and causes chaos.

Crime Scene Kitchen (FOX, 9:00pm) — Joel McHale’s the host of this bizarro cooking-focused reality-competition show, which sees chef teams attempt to figure out what was baked after a dessert disappears, leaving only ingredients in the aftermath. McHale is one of the best famous-types at the art of the interview, and I’ll stand by that claim.

In case you missed this pick from last week:

Too Hot To Handle: Season 2 (Netflix series) — This frustratingly horny dating show’s all about figuring out whether any of the sexy singles can withstand the no-kissing and no-heavy-petting and no-masturbation rules of the house. It’s somehow sexy but not-sexy at the same time, and the show’s inspired by a Seinfeld episode, in which Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer all tried super-hard to withstand the urge to self-pleasure themselves. I dunno, man. Questions of proof abound, but people sure are entertained by this Netflix show.

Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered an injury during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday night. Antetokounmpo attempted to break up a lob that Lou Williams threw to Clint Capela during the Hawks’ 110-88 win, and when he landed, his left knee buckled, causing him to fall to the ground and hold his leg in pain.

While he needed some assistance from his brother, Thanasis, he was able to put some weight on his knee as he made his way to the locker room, and despite trying to walk back out to the bench, he spent the rest of the game in the back with what the team called a hyperextended left knee.

On Wednesday, the two-time league MVP underwent more testing, which revealed, happily, that there was no structural damage to his knee beyond the hyperextension, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe.

As Woj notes, there still isn’t a timetable for Giannis’ return and his status for Game 5 is unknown. The Hawks have struggled to find a consistent answer for Antetokounmpo during the series, as he entered Wednesday night averaging 30.7 points, 10.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists, two steals, and a block in 37 minutes per game while connecting on 59.4 percent of his field goal attempts.

Game 5 between the Hawks and Bucks takes place on Thursday night in Milwaukee, and further updates will be needed to determine whether the Bucks will have their star or not.

The 2021 WNBA All-Star roster was announced on Wednesday with seven first-time honorees named including Liberty standout guard Betnijah Laney, Aces two-time reigning Sixth Woman of the Year Dearica Hamby, and last season’s scoring champion, Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale.

The complete roster for the All-Star team includes: Candace Parker, Liz Cambage, DeWanna Bonner, Kahleah Copper, Dearica Hamby, Brionna Jones, Jonquel Jones, Betnijah Laney, Arike Ogbunowale, Satou Sabally, Courtney Vandersloot and Courtney Williams. WNBA legends Tina Thompson and Lisa Leslie will serve as the team’s co-head coaches.

This season, the All-Star Game will be under unique rules as the All-Star team will compete against Team USA’s Olympic team in Las Vegas on July 14. The 12 U.S. Olympians who they’ll be competing against include: Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Chelsea Gray, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Jewell Loyd, Ariel Atkins, Tina Charles, Napheesa Collier, Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson, Sylvia Fowles, and Brittney Griner. Dawn Staley is the team’s head coach.

The most noteworthy exclusion from both teams was 2016 MVP Nneka Ogwumike, whose snub from the Olympic team was highly controversial. Her omission from the All-Star Game made more sense as the veteran is recovering from a knee sprain and has only appeared in five games this season.

Voting was open from June 15 to June 27 at 11:59 p.m. ET. On two Sundays, votes counted twice. Fans and media were able to vote for four backcourt and six frontcourt players. Fan vote accounted for 50 percent of the total vote, and media and WNBA players accounted for 25 percent of the vote each. The top 36 players (nine backcourt and 15 frontcourt) were then put in a pool that WNBA coaches voted for. Coaches could not vote for their own players. Starters for both teams will be determined by their respective head coaches.

The WNBA finding a way to add an All-Star Game in an Olympic year is a wonderful add for both players and fans. Every four years since 2000, the league’s best players weren’t awarded an All-Star nod for their performance. Now they’ll be able to add this accolade to their resume

Craft distillers and local politicians in Indiana scored a pretty big boon for their local whiskey this week. Starting July 1st, “Indiana Rye” whiskey will be a legally binding regional whiskey style of American whiskey.

Indiana has a long history with rye whiskey and produces the lion’s share of the rye whiskey consumed on the market today. MGP of Indiana alone distills and matures ryes for Angel’s Envy, Bulleit, George Dickel, High West, James E. Pepper, Redemption, WhistlePig, and so, so many more. Their 95 percent peppery rye mash bill is so ubiquitous that most people just think that’s what rye tastes like in general (it’s actually not, at all).

Of course, rye has a much longer history than MGP’s Lawrenceburg plant (which itself stretches back to 1847). Rye was way more common as a whiskey in the 1700s and well into the 1800s. The American whiskey trail from antebellum Virginian plantations to the Allegheny and Ohio valleys of western Pennsylvania towards Indiana is the heartland of rye whiskey to this day. Of course, rye whiskey is made all over Kentucky, Tennessee, and in any other state distilling spirits these days. But the real heart of the spirit remains in Indiana and the 30-odd distilleries pumping out local rye whiskey are a testament to that.

The law is pretty straightforward when it comes to whiskey regulations. To be called an “Indiana Rye,” the whiskey needs to be either a sour or sweet mash with at least 51 percent rye as the base ingredient. The juice has to come off the stills at 80 percent ABV or less, go into the barrel at no more than 62.5 percent ABV, and be bottled at 40 percent ABV and above. It’ll have to be aged a minimum of two years in new white American oak barrels.

The heart of the bill is that it allows local distillers to label their product with the term “Indiana Rye” whiskey and have it be a legally binding regional designation federally. In essence, you’re going to start seeing bottles labeled “Indiana Straight Rye Whiskey” in the same vein as you see “Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey” or “Tennessee Straight Rye Whiskey” now.

Does this mean that WhistlePig and Bulleit are going to start labeling their ryes as “Indiana Straight Rye Whiskey”? Probably not. Both of those brands lean into being from Vermont and Kentucky (respectively), regardless of the fact that they source from MPG. This is more of a win for the small, local craft distillers who now get to call their whiskey their own, with laws protecting them. It’s also a play to help make Indiana more of a whiskey destination.

State Rep. Chris May, who spearheaded the legislation, said, “we want Indiana to be as popular for its rye whiskey as it is for basketball and racing.” He continued, “Establishing that market, both in sales and tourism, might one day put the success of our state’s distilleries on par with that of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.”

Those are lofty goals, given that the Kentucky Bourbon Trail brings in north of $8 billion annually. To be honest, most American rye drinkers don’t even realize their rye is most likely from Indiana yet. But this is the first step in shifting that awareness and it may very well lead to a larger sea change.

(Via The Herald-Times)

Republican Representative Matt Gaetz is currently under investigation by the Department of Justice over sex trafficking charges, so you’d assume he’d be the last person to call for yet another investigation into the affairs of one of his conservative-leaning buddies. And yet, here we are.

During a House Judiciary Committee hearing, Gaetz used his time to address some disturbing allegations from the camp of Tucker Carlson, asking Congress to investigate claims made by the Fox News host on-air this week. Those claims center on Carlson’s belief that the National Security Agency is spying on him and his team. Earlier this week, Carlson went on a bizarre rant that ended with an accusation against the NSA saying a “whistleblower” had reached out to warn him that the agency was “monitoring our electronic communications” with the intention to “leak them in an attempt to take this show off the air.”

So Carlson thinks a government agency is allocating resources to take down the TV show he uses to spew wild conspiracy theories and insult top-ranking military members by calling them “stupid pigs.” But the kicker is that Gaetz, a politician currently embroiled in his own legal scandal, seems to believe it, too, and he’s using his platform to ask Congress to look into these weird claims his friend has made — despite the fact that the NSA has completely denied these allegations and that Gaetz really can’t afford to wade into yet another political catastrophe.

“It’s not like the NSA’s never lied to us,” Gaetz said (in a video that he tweeted out) during the hearing after calling the NSA’s statement denying Carlson’s claim a “couched” statement. “We were told that there was no bulk collection of Americans’ data. It turns out there was bulk collection of Americans’ data and no one ever was held to account for that. We cannot count on these people to police themselves.”

Gaetz wasn’t done yet. He continued, asking that an “Inspector General investigation into any monitoring that the NSA or any other element of the intelligence community is engaged relevant to Tucker Carlson” be conducted. Now, Carlson and Gaetz recently had a bit of a falling out after Gaetz came on Carlson’s show to defend himself against those pesky sex trafficking allegations and the whole thing read like a Twilight Zone episode. Carlson was apparently a bit peeved that Gaetz seemed to “drag” him into the whole thing, which again, feels like a good enough reason for the Congressman to keep his mouth shut when it comes to alleged investigations into Carlson’s activity.

Redemption Bourbon is sourcing and blending some of the best bourbons on the shelf today. That fact was just reaffirmed by two of their bourbons taking home top honors at the world’s largest spirits awards, the 2021 International Wine & Spirits Competition.

Redemption’s 9-year Barrel Proof Bourbon took home a “Gold Outstanding” medal. According to the judges at the competition this year, that whiskey scored at least 98/100 points. That alone is enough to give Master Blender Dave Carpenter and the whole crew over at Redemption cause to celebrate.

The cherry on top was that their 10-year Barrel Proof High Rye Bourbon took home the top award as both the highest-scoring bourbon (99/100) and top-rated American whiskey this year. And that’s the expression we’re talking about today. We’ll get all 16 winners a little later this week.

I was lucky enough to taste this bourbon whiskey with Carpenter a few short months ago and have been enjoying this expression quite a bit since then. Make sure to click on the price if you want to give this one a whirl too.

Redemption 10 Year Barrel Proof High Rye Bourbon

ABV: 57.2%

Average Price: $100

The Whiskey:

Redemption has a knack for sourcing some of the best barrels from MGP in Indiana. This multi-award-winning bourbon starts off with a base mash bill of 60 percent corn, 36 percent rye, and four percent barley. After ten years of maturation, the barrels are expertly vatted to make a highly sippable bourbon experience. That marriage of bourbons then goes into the bottle — uncut and unfiltered.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a woody vanilla and floral honey vibe on the nose with a touch of almost burnt toffee and worn leather. Espresso beans mix with a dab of smoky bacon fat that leads towards a slightly bitter black peppercorn. Slight creamy vanilla leads towards a hint of soft cherry sweetness as the pepperiness edges towards lemon pepper soaked in honey, with a slight note of green reeds at the end. The finish dries out and amps up the spiciness as a hint of dark chocolate lingers on the very end.

The Bottle:

Redemption uses pretty unique bottles. The squat glass bottles feel bespoke and have a serious heft to them. The cork is held in with a bit of twine, which is a nice touch. Overall, this is a handsome bottle that stands out on any bar cart.

Bottom Line:

Although this didn’t win our Barrel Proof blind taste test, I did have this to say about this one. “This was subtle and nice. In fact, I’ve dipped into this one quite a bit over the months. That being said, it didn’t quite hit the heights I thought it would against this line-up. Which is fine — it still tasted pretty damn great.”

Tasting it again today and I stand by that. This is a great sip that never disappoints. It’s subtle, full of classic high-rye bourbon notes, and really easy to sip neat.

Rating:

95/100 — Yeah, this is pretty great, though I clearly differ with the IWSC judges a little. It’s complex while still being understandable. All in all, it’s easy to see why folks dig this one so much.

In a shocking legal twist, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has overturned Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction. He will go free after serving less than three years of his ten-year prison sentence. Few people expected this to happen, ever, let alone after a judge denied parole to the disgraced TV star and comedian after he refused to participate in prison treatment programs. As it turns out, though, the court’s opinion (which followed a criminal court judge labeling him a “sexually violent predator”) is a procedural matter.

The legal process got all botched up due to a previous prosecutor (Bruce Castor, who gave a My Cousin Vinny-esque speech during Trump’s second impeachment trial) agreeing not to prosecute Cosby. A subsequent prosecutor ran with the case after several accusers came forward, years after Cosby’s $3.3 million settlement to Andrea Constand and his 2005 admission that he’d drugged and raped her and other women. And when the PA Supreme Court ruled that Cosby should go free (on a technicality), this was music to the ears of his former Cosby Show co-star, Phylicia Rashad.

“FINALLY!!!!” A terrible wrong is being righted,” The woman who played Claire Huxtable tweeted. “[A] miscarriage of justice is corrected!”

As one might expect, uh, this wasn’t the wisest thing in the world to tweet. Rashad’s got her Twitter replies (from the general public) turned off, but that hasn’t stopped anyone from quote-tweeting her while wondering how Rashad’s employer, Howard University (where she’ll be dean of the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts), will view her vigorous celebration of her former TV husband.

CNN’s Jake Tapper summed things up pretty well: “The actress who played Mrs Huxtable weighs in.”

Yep, Rashad does appear to overlook what actually happened here, in that no justice was corrected, and Cosby certainly wasn’t acquitted. He’s only going free because of prosecutorial error, and people have noticed.

Others urged Rashad to sit down and maybe, you know, delete that tweet.

Throughout his case, Cosby has steadfastly refused to express remorse or admit wrongdoing regarding his alleged actions. He even insisted that he’d prefer to serve his entire sentence than make such an admission. Details of his impending release should be forthcoming.

(Via PA Supreme Court)

Summertime ’06 was a huge release for Vince Staples. Following a handful of mixtapes in the years prior, the rapper’s 2015 debut album was the first time a lot of fans were exposed to him. Additionally, the album remains Staples’ one of his biggest chart successes, at is has his highest peak on the Billboard Hot Rap Albums chart at No. 2. That album came out six years ago today, and Staples’ celebration on Twitter made him a trending topic.

This afternoon, he tweeted, “Summertime ’06 was 6 years ago. Thank you to everyone who listened. [heart emoji] N.I.P. TSkrap.” He then added a couple hours later, “Favorite song from Summertime ’06?” Sure enough, he got his answer, as “Norf Norf” started trending.

He went on to describe his humble housing arrangement while making the album: “When Summertime ’06 was being made we stayed off 7th & Temple four deep in a one bedroom apartment with one 380. Life change fast lol.”

Back when Staples first announced the album, he wrote of it on Instagram (as Stereogum notes), “Love tore us all apart. Love for self, love for separation, love for the little we all had, love for each other, where we came from… Summer of 2006, the beginning of the end of everything I though I knew. Youth was stolen from my city that Summer and Im left alone to tell the story. This might not make sense but that’s because none of it does, we’re stuck. Love tore us all apart.”

Ready to feel old? Terminator 2: Judgment Day turns 30 years old this week, and to commemorate the blockbuster sequel that set the mold for blockbuster, sci-fi action, The Ringer put together a pretty tremendous oral history that takes a look back at the making of the Arnold Schwarzenegger classic.

At the time of its release, the film was a showcase of cutting-edge visual effects thanks to Robert Patrick’s T-1000 who could morph into liquid metal and change its appearance at will. (The role almost went to Billy Idol, so try not to think about how amazing that would’ve been.) More importantly, T2 was a notable departure from the first film, which was basically a horror film where Schwarzenegger played a ruthless, murdering machine villain on the hunt for Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor.

This time around, Hamilton wasn’t a damsel in distress, and Schwarzenegger would be the hero of the film, as he shows up to protect her son and leader of a future rebellion, John Connor. Played by Edward Furlong, John’s addition to T2 added heart and levity to the heavy threat of a future apocalypse, and a surprisingly candid James Cameron revealed how he decided to include him in the sequel. Via The Ringer:

I remember sitting there once, high on E, writing notes for Terminator, and I was struck by Sting’s song, that “I hope the Russians love their children too.” And I thought, “You know what? The idea of a nuclear war is just so antithetical to life itself.” That’s where the kid came from.

OK, so the answer turned out to be drugs, but let’s not pretend that wasn’t the case for every single movie from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. And probably huge chunks of Avatar because have you seen that movie? They have sex with their hair. It’s wild.

(Via The Ringer)